Chinafest!//
GiGi Williams, 6, creatively ties a bow on a papier-mâché dragon at ChinaFest! year of the Fire Monkey. The celebration last Saturday at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts marked the Chinese New year, which began Feb. 8, by highlighting Chinese art and culture. The festivities included artist demonstrations and performances. youngsters and the young at heart learned about traditional Chinese art by creating their own opera masks, dragon puppets, decorative scrolls and New year’s lanterns.
Cityscape
Slices of life and scenes in Richmond
This view, looking north toward Brown’s Island, shows the work underway on the 1,600-foot T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge that will allow pedestrians and bicyclists to cross the James River. The bridge, in pieces for years, sits above the former Brown’s Island Dam. The city has set aside more than $5 million since 2013 and has received $2.5 million from the state to develop the bridge. The project is expected to be completed in August and open sections of the river to walkers and cyclists. Howard Shockey & Sons Inc. is undertaking the work to provide the first non-vehicle connection between the south and north banks of the river. A connection between the bridge and the floodwall walk will be created on the south end of the bridge. The bridge is named in honor of a deceased city employee who championed com- munity development.
Winter In Northside
Honoring Dr. Francis Foster //
The late Richmond dentist and historian Dr. Francis Foster Sr. was honored Feb. 10 at Virginia Commonwealth University by the School of Dentistry for practicing dentistry in Jackson Ward for 41 years and teaching at the dental school for 16 years. Vinita Acklin, a fourth- year dental student, was the inaugural recipient of the newly endowed Francis Foster Sr. D.D.S. Student National Dental Association Scholarship. From left are Dr. Foster’s children, Dr. Colette Foster Groves, Frank Foster Jr.
and Carmen Foster, joined by Dr. David Sarrett, dean of the dental school, Barbara Wright and her husband, Dr. Thomas Wright Jr., who was honored with the “First 100” Trailblazer Award. In 1969, he was the second dentist of color to graduate from the dental school.